2 days had passed since the doctor had been removed from the office. He had fought it at first, showing up just hours after I had asked him to leave, claiming that it was his office and some other narcissistic crap about him being in the right, as a human, for hurting the monsters as much as he wanted because, everyone knew, they could kill humans so easily, and often kidnapped humans for mating purposes. I knew the truth on all of that, of course. Humans could be the mate of a shifter, whom they would swear their love to, accept the bite, and become a shifter themselves. The bigoted doctor didn't understand such a concept as soulmates, as most humans didn't. They, like the protectors, didn't feel such a pull, though they did feel things like desire. Love was something all beings longed for, just not my people.
Dante had been near the clinic each day since we'd first met, each time getting close to me or watching me from a distance. With each look of his eyes over my body or my face I would feel my heart rate spike and the blood heat in my veins. I didn't like the way he made my body react, and I hated the way my mind went in dangerous directions when he was around. I used my dreams as a grounding system for my mind. It didn't help that he was basically a walking sex dream. Tall, at least a foot taller than me, darkly tanned, in a natural way, messy black hair that reached his shoulders, and those caramel eyes.
The office became my reprieve, where no one could watch me, or interrupt me, not that I had any major job to do until the new doctor arrived. But once they arrived, I could get out of here and regain control of myself and my senses.
A soft knocking from the door to the office made me tense, wondering who would even have any interest in visiting me, other than Dante. Stiffly, I got up from couch along the side of the room and slipped my fingers around the smooth metal of the doorknob. Easing the door open, I looked through the opening, seeing a familiar face of a man I didn't know.
No, I knew him, from somewhere, I just couldn't remember where.
"Can I help you?" I asked as the door opened the rest of the way.
The man was tall, maybe 7 inches taller than me, and I was also rather tall at 5'10", with hair as blond as mine, both of our hair clearly fake to the keener eye. He was lightly tanned, his build just slightly above average, his eyes an inhuman blue. What his real hair and eye color was, I wouldn't know unless he removed the glamour that all protectors used when in the realms. My real hair was a pale shade of blue and my eyes were actually purple. I wasn't like the rest of my race, whose hair was usually more towards soft purples to reds with matching eyes.
"My, you truly are as beautiful as I've heard" he spoke in the protectors true language.
He reached forward and it took all I had not to cringe away as he touched my hair.
"Is it true that your hair is blue?" he asked.
He added his own power to his voice, as if that would intimidate me or something. He clearly knew nothing about me if he thought he was strong enough for me to fear him.
"Yes" I answered in English, infusing a warning into my eyes that made him tremble, pulling back slightly.
I stepped out of the room, into the hallway, figuring it was safest if we were in a place that I could make a quick escape if necessary.
"What can I do for you?" I asked, layering power into my voice.
Again, he trembled, a thin layer of sweat forming on his brow.
"I thought I would meet you early. There's no rule against that after all." he smiled, his arrogance quickly resurfacing.
I did my best to remain as neutral as I possibly could, not letting anything show within my face or body "you are the partner I have been given, I take it?"
"That I am" he spoke in English, extending his hand to me with a bow, as if he were some kind of prince charming.
Our people didn't have such things as royalty, we were led by council that had been decided upon because of their great power and their calm and controlled demeanor. This man was probably from a family line known for their power, considering how he was acting. The fact that he had been chosen as my partner simply meant that he was the closest to my power level within our age range. He couldn't have been older than 27, but it was never easy to tell with our people, since we didn't age like the rest of the races. He and I would both look young for many, many years. The only time we showed our true age was when we allowed our bodies to age by releasing our power of control. We still died of old age, but it took much longer and was rarely visible.
"Hannalee?" a deep voice called from behind me, and my blood roared in response.
I turned around and saw Dante approaching, his face calm but his eyes in full wolf mode, the golden light of them making me shiver.
"Dante, is everything alright?" I asked awkwardly.
"I was going to ask you the same thing. Normally you spend your days in the office, so seeing you in the hallway was a surprise."
He smiled as soon as he was next to me, then looked at the man I was with. His fists clenched and I wondered if that was a conscious thing or maybe he could just tell that the man before us was a bad person.
"Hi there" the blond man smiled, taking a step closer "my name is Hunter."
I thought he might extend his hand to Dante, the way he had for me, but then I could see the contempt in his eyes. Hunter already despised Dante, without even knowing him. Would he be just like that with the rest of the wolves, or whatever race I was put in charge of watching over. I immediately knew what type of person he was from just that. A purist. Someone who looked down on every other race. I'd met plenty who looked down on me just for being a little different, and now I was partnered with one who would look down on anyone who wasn't like us.
"Are you a friend of Hannalee?" Hunter asked, an arrogant smile on his lips.
"Something like that" I answered for him, trying to end this situation as quickly as possible.
I felt Dante looking at me, but didn't look away from Hunter. He was letting his own power out, a completely stupid and reckless move, but Dante didn't seem even remotely phased. I did know how powerful Dante was, of course. He was stronger than most alphas in the realm, but he had no desire to claim power, instead giving his submission to those he could easily beat. The fact that he was able to stand in the presence of the power that Hunter was giving off was both impressive and terrifying.
"Well, Dante, it's nice to meet you. I'm sort of Hannalee's fiance."
Fiance was the easiest way to explain our arrangement in the realms, but marriage wasn't something that our people did. Still, the statement earned a loud growl from Dante, who was glaring daggers at the cocky look in Hunter's eyes.
"It's only a betrothal. don't act like it's anything special between us" I stated coldly, earning a shocked look from Dante and an annoyed look from Hunter.
"Betrothal? What kind of barbaric family even uses that system anymore?" Dante demanded angrily.
I didn't understand his anger, but, more than that, I didn't understand the fact that the answer to his question almost burst from my lips. I was doing my best to fight down the need to tell him whatever it was he wanted to know about both myself and my people. Something as taboo as falling for a realm resident. If he knew, he would end up being killed.
"It's a tradition of our people. We are naturally meant to be with people suited to us for...various, reasons." he smirked, clearly enjoying the hateful glare he was receiving.
"Be silent!" I warned Hunter in our native language, letting the power lace through my words.